Method of and device for selection or entry of a destination in a motor vehicle system

ABSTRACT

A method of and device for selection or entry of a destination in a motor vehicle navigation system. The selection of a destination designation from a stored destination list or the entry of the destination designation is effected by selecting letter positions of the destination designation in a stepwise manner with a first component of a manual input element, and by running the alphabet through, per letter position, at a speed or step size which can be varied as desired until the desired letter is reached with a second component of a manual input element. The acknowledgement of the selected letters or numbers is effected by means of an optical display and, in particular, acoustically by means of vocal output.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method of a device for selection or entry ofa destination location, in a navigation system of a motor vehicle.Present motor vehicle navigation systems, or those being developed, givethe driver information for choosing the driving direction atintersections during driving after the driver has input his destinationinto the navigation system. All locations in the region whose map isdigitally stored in the navigation system, are taken into considerationas driving destinations. With respect to traffic safety, the manner inwhich the driver indicates the driving destination has particularimportance.

The driver can convey the driving destination to the navigation systemby using a road map, a numeric code, or the name of the destination(location, street and street address). The handling of a road map or ahandbook for taking the numeric code of the destination is a rathercumbersome procedure and can not be considered for use in the motorvehicle during driving. The driver can fix the destination location byselecting the destination from the list of all possible destinationlocations (destination list) stored in the navigation system. The entryof a destination location not yet contained in the destination list isrequired only in special cases. The method of selecting the destinationhas the advantage that the driver need enter only the minimum number ofletters and numbers of the destination location which allow anunequivocal assignment to a destination on the destination list. Vocalinput would be the ideal method for selecting or entering thedestination location but this can not yet be considered at present or inthe near future due to the present technical limitations. Selection orentry of the destination location by means of a keyboard, whether thisis an alphanumeric complete keyboard or one of the numerous keyboardvariants with a reduced number of keys, has the disadvantage that it maybe carried out only when the vehicle is stationary, since it would betoo distracting for the driver during driving. The word-by-word search("scrolling") is known as a method for selecting the destination fromthe destination list; in this method, the destination list in which thedestinations are stored alphabetically can be scrolled behind an opticaldisplay window by two direction switches. Due to the large number ofpossible destinations, this method also has an effect which is toodistracting to be used during driving.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is developing a method for selection orentry of destination locations in a navigation system whose distractingeffect is so slight that it can also be used when driving.

This object is met, according to the invention, in that the selection orentry of the destination is effected by a position-by-position scrollingof the letters of the alphabet, in that the alphabetic or numericalpositions of the destination name are selected in a stepwise manner witha first component of a manual input element, and in that the alphabet isrun through per letter position with a second component of a manualinput element at a speed or step size which can be varied as desireduntil the desired letter is reached. The efficiency of the search can beincreased by taking into consideration the occurrence probabilities ofindividual letters and letter groups (e.g. two-digit groups, three-digitgroups). In addition to the optical display of the respective selectedletter, an acoustic acknowledgement is effected by a vocal output, whichconstitutes a substantial feature of the method. The two components ofthe manual input element are preferably integrated in a single inputmember.

The advantages which can be attained with the invention consistparticularly in that the driver can execute a destination input ordestination selection in an extensively "blind"during driving, i.e.without claiming too much of his visual attention and, accordingly,without being distracted from the traffic situation in a dangerousmanner. In addition, the entry of letters by position provides theadvantage that the selecting process is substantially shortened incomparison to the searching of destination by words. An additionalshortening of the entry time is achieved by making use of the occurrenceprobabilities of individual letters and letter groups. Theletter-by-letter (and number-by-number) acoustic acknowledgement byspeech output constitutes an information load which can be tolerated bythe driver in contrast to speech output by words and leads to areduction of the entry time. Moreover, a complete synthesis of vocals isnot required for the speech output of letters and numbers; rather,digitally stored statements of a human speaker can be used so that agood to very good speech quality can be achieved.

The present invention both as to its construction so to its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following detailed description of thepreferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view showing the cooperation of input element,optical display and speech output; FIG. 2 shows a block wiring diagramof the entire device.

FIGS: 1(a), (b) and (c) show a two-dimensional input element 1, 2 forselecting a letter position and for running through the alphabet per theletter position. This input element can consist of two rockers which areperpendicular to one another or can be constructed as a joystick. Acorresponding graphic representation on a screen with touch input isalso suitable. The actuation of the horizontal component 1 serves forthe stepwise selection of the letter position in that a binary signal isproduced by pressing on the left-hand or right-hand side, which signalactivates the next letter position located next to the initial positionon the right of left. The vertical component 2 serves for runningthrough the letter alphabet in a stepwise manner until a letter appearsat the selected letter position which agrees with that at thecorresponding position of the destination location. Thepositionby-position selection of a number, e.g. the street address, iscarried out in a corresponding manner. In order to shorten the selectionprocess, the vertical component of the input element can be constructedin such a way that the run-through speed is increased continuously or insteps when pressing on the upper or lower end with increasing actuatingforce and/or increasing actuating path, that is displacement of theinput component. Another step is the reduction of the quantity of thepassing letters by context, or with increasing deflection, or withincreasing pressure on the input element 2. The occurrence probabilitiesof individual letters and letter groups can be taken into considerationin selecting the subset of letters. For example, it is discerned fromthe list of postal codes that in German place names only the letters"A", "E", "I", "O", "O", "U", "u", and "Y" can follow the initial letter"H", so that the maximum subset of letters to be run through in thesecond letter position after "H" can be limited to 8. Anotherpossibility of limiting the number of letters to be run through resultsfrom the destination locations contained in the destination list. Thenumber of alternative destination locations in the destination listtaken into consideration decreases as the number of letter positions ofthe destination location selected by the user increases. Therefore, forthe next letter position to be selected only those letters which occurin this position in the subset of destination locations limited by thepreceding letter positions are to be taken into consideration. Forexample, for the selection of the letter sequence "KARLSR", which isnecessary and sufficient for the selection of the destination name"KARLSRUHE" from the list of postal codes, 29, 12, 18, 12 and 8 letters,in sequence, are to be included in the subset to be run through.

The optical display 3 serves to show the entered destination name and toacknowledge the selection of the letter or number position and therun-through process of the alphabet or a subset thereof. A portion ofthe letters running through is shown in FIG. 1 by the area 4 framed bydashes. In addition to the optical acknowledgment of the selectionprocess, the acoustic acknowledgement by means of speech output, whichis indicated by the loudspeaker 5, is essential for application in themotor vehicle. The letter shown on the display field at the selectedposition at a given moment is conveyed in the shortest possible form byspeech output, so that the driver can follow the running through of theletters or numbers by sound and need only occasionally divert his viewfrom the traffic in order to observe the display 3. For this purpose, avocal output is required whose vocabulary comprises the letters andnumbers in conventional vocal mode, that is, "a",...,"jay",...,"zee" and"zero",...,"nine". The disadvantage of the risk of confusing the lettersis offset by the advantage of short speech duration; moreover, mistakesin hearing the letters or numbers can easily be discovered by means ofglancing at the optical display 3. However, it is also possible topronounce the letters according to an entered spelling alphabet, e.g."Anton", "Berta", "Casar", etc. It is substantial that the method ofcomplete synthesis of human speech can be dispensed with by this type ofvocal output; on the contrary, digitally stored statements of a humanspeaker can be used, and a very natural and understandable speech can beachieved. As soon as there is as an unequivocal assignment of theentered letters to one of the stored destination names, this destinationname is shown on the optical display 3. The user confirms by anacknowledgement key (not shown) or by actuating the right-hand side ofthe horizontal component 1 of the input element again. If thedestination location consists of a plurality of parts, such as place,street and street address, the individual parts of the name are enteredone after the other in the described manner.

FIGS. 1 a-c show the sequence of the entry of 2 letters "HI". First, theletter "H" is set at the first position with the vertical component ofthe input element, wherein an "overshooting" by one letter is seen atthe vocal output. After the first letter "H" is set, the second letterposition is selected in FIG. 1b by pressing on the right-hand side ofthe horizontal component of the input element. As mentioned above, onlya subset of 8 letters comes under consideration after the initial letter"H", a selection being made from this subset according to FIG. 1c.

FIG. 2 shows a block wiring diagram of the device for destination entryor selection. The letter selection by position is carried out by aninput element 6, which comprises the horizontal and vertical components1 and 2. A digital computer 7, e.g. a microprocessor, processes thecontrol signals of the input element 6 and controls the optical display3 as well as the vocal output 8 with the loudspeaker 5. The computer 7compares the entered letters with the destination locations stored inthe destination storage 9 and gives the complete destination locationwhen there is an unequivocal assignment.

Another advantageous construction of the invention can consist in thatthe user can substitute a "?" for portions of the destination name whenhe has incomplete knowledge of the spelling of a destination name or inorder to abbreviate the entry. For example, the destination "GROSSGERAU" can be entered in an abbreviated manner by "?GERAU". In order tomake use of this possibility it is helpful if the "?" is in the frontposition when running through the alphabet. When the "?" is placedbefore the "A", activation is effected by means of actuating the upperside of the vertical component of the input element.

I claim:
 1. A method of selection or entry of a destination in a motorvehicle navigation system including manual input means having horizontaland vertical components, an optical display, a speech output, andcomputer means, said method comprising the steps of selecting a letterposition with the horizontal component; running through a letteralphabet with the vertical component until a letter corresponding to aletter determining a destination name appears at the selected letterposition; indicating the selecting and running steps on the opticaldisplay; effecting acoustic acknowledgement of the letter to be entered;and effecting one of selection of the destination and entry of thedestination by computer means by effecting the horizontal and verticalcomponents; and determining a subset of letters that can follow apredetermined letter and running only through said subset of letters ina letter position immediately following a position of the predeterminedletter.
 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal andvertical components of the input means are formed as two rockersarranged perpendicular to each other and having opposite actuatableright and left ends and upward and downward ends, respectively, saidselecting step including a stepwise selection of the letter position byactuating one of the right and left ends of the horizontal component,and said running-through step including stepwise running-through of theletter alphabet by actuating one of the upward and downward ends of thevertical component.
 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein thehorizontal and vertical components of the input means are formed as ajoystick actuatable to right and left and upward and downward sides,respectively, said selecting step including a stepwise selection of theletter position by actuating the joystick to one of the right and leftsides, and said running-through step including continuousrunning-through of the letter alphabet by actuating the joystick to oneof the upward and downward sides.
 4. A method according to claim 1,wherein said acoustic acknowledgement step includes outputting aselected letter in a form of a vocal announcement of the letter.
 5. Amethod according to claim 1, wherein said acoustic acknowledgement stepincludes outputting a selected letter in a form of a vocal announcementby using a conventional spelling alphabet.
 6. A method according toclaim 1, wherein said running-through step includes varying one of arun-through speed and step lenght of the letter alphabet to therebyshorten entry process.
 7. A method according to claim 1, wherein saidrunningthrough step includes varying one of a run-through speed and astep length by changing at least one of actuating force and adisplacement path of the input means to thereby shorten an entryprocess.
 8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the stepof providing a question mark sign instead of at least one letter andusing the question mark for one of a portion of a destination name whenthe spelling of the portion is not completely known, and for adestination name portion when a remaining portion of the destinationname defines a corresponding destination.
 9. A method according to claim8, wherein said question mark providing step includes providing thequestion mark sign at a beginning of a row of alphabet letters.